The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-07
Deadly Crush on the Stairway Caused
by an Overturned Ticket-B0X.
The Trial of Editor O'Brien Set Down as the
Next Sensational Event in Ireland-The
Russian View of Ayoub Kkan's Escape.
THE BURNED THEATER.


Revealed by the Search of the Ruins.
LONDON, Sept. 6-The victims by the burn
ing Of the Theater Royal at Exeter. last night,
were mostly working people. AS the
flames were extinguished, large force of men
began searching for the bodies. The stairway
leading to the gallery was literally packed with
bodies, while at the head of the stairs there were
scores of others piled one top of the other. The
unfortunate victims had rushed to the door when
the alarm given, but found the stairway
blocked and all means of escape cut off, In short
time the flames had reached them %nd they
suffered horrible death. There were ptiful
scenes in the vicinity of the burned theater this
morning, as friends and relations of supposed
victims awaited the recovery of the bodies. In
many cases fathers and mothers both perished,
and numerous children are thus left without
means of support. Several of the bodies were
burned so that only small cinder remained.
The number of persons severely injured is sixty.
It is feared that the death list will number one
hundred and forty
1t has been ascertaine1 that there were two
hundred persons occupying seats in the gallery,
and of these over one hundred lost their lives.
The search for bodies still goes on. It is very
probable that the total number of deaths will
never be ascertained, owing to the fact that
many of the bodies were completely cacined.
Two stalls of stable belonging to a hotel ad-
jacent to the theater filled with remains
that it is impossible to identify. Most of the
killed were adults, and chiefly men. But few
children perisheG. The municipal authorities
had special meeting, to-day, and arranged for
the interment of all unidentified bodies.
More bodies have been taken from the ruins
The charred remains of twenty persons were
discovered in one heap A mother, father and
child were found clasped in embrace All
three had been burned to death. In nearly
every case the clothing had been torn off the
victims. From many of the bodies limbs were
missing, and theremains showed evidence that
they had been wrenched off. Several whole
families. numbering from two to five persons
lost their lives.
A scene shifter says the fire originated among
some gauze. which in some way became ienited.
The flames spread 10 the scenery. of which the
stage was unusually full, owing to the prsrara-
tions in progress for the production of the panto
mime. The audience numbered 800.
The inquest over the victims begun to-
day. Crowds of mourning relatives were
present The coroner intimated that it was de-
srable. for sanitary reasons, that general or
der for burial be Immediately issued. It was
the jury simply viewed the remains. public
funeral will be held tomorrow. A relief fund
has been opened. Captain Shaw who is visiting
Exeter, says that the fire spread with such
rapidity. owing to the abundance of nfiammabIe
material, that no help from the outside would
have done any good. The fire brigade spared
no effort, but it would be better if they were
placed under one control The Queen has sent
messages of sympathy tn the sufferers
The destruction of the theater was a literal
repetition Of the Brooklyn Theater horror, the
scenes attending the burning of the Opera
ComiQue in Paris, the terrible Ring Theater
disaster in Vienna, and long list of similar
catastrophes that human foresight and ingenu-
ity and decent regard for the safety of life
might have rendered impossible. or at least
motely probable. 1t was claimed for the thea
ter that it possessed all the latest improvements
and accessories for the presentation of first
class entertainments, and Its propretors and
managers were able to boast that its
stage would amply accommodate the
hundreds Of persons necessary to the pro
duction of spectacular play; yet when
through carelessness or the imperfection of the
gas and scenic arrangements the building took
fire, the occupants of the gallery were COM
PEELED to seek escape by means of single exit,
comprising stairway not sufficiently wide for
three persons to walk abreast There could be
only one result Of attempt by panic-strcken
crowd to force itself through this channel to the
open air, and that reached Immediately. It
ought not be difficult TO locate the criminal re-
sponsi biity for failure to provide adequate
means Of exit from the place. ont already the
blame ia being shifted from the shoulders of
to another. and it would not be surprising IL all
the guilty persons should ultimately succeed in
evading the consequences of their neglect.
ha nj Na1a fv has kaH
appalling effect upon the public. and supersedes
all other topics as a theme of conversation. The
of receipts might. and it will be time
before the more timid theater-goers will venture
to resume their habit of visiting crowded play
houses.
None of the blackened and charred corpses
that still lying side by side in the stairway
near the ruins of the theater have yet been iden-
tifed and it is likely that nearly all of them
will be buried as strangers proba bly, by persons
who knew them intimately in ife but who are
unable to distinguish semblance OF their former
friends in the revolving trunks and fragments of
flesh which escaped the fury of the flames.
Mr.. Henry Matthews. the Home Secretary,
was interrogated In the House of Commons. this
evening. concerning the steps the government
would take to exhaustively investigate the mat
ter. fix the responsibility and punish the offend
ers. but he stated in reply to his lnterrogator
that the Home Office had no authority to pro-
ceed with an inquiry in advance of the action OF
the local officers. nor was it within the province
of the Home Department to have inspected and
surveyed the theater. This latter duty should
have been performed by direction of the local
magistrates, and they are responsible for hav-
ing licensed the theater in its unsafe condition
as regards providing Sufficient means of exit in
event of fire panic Mr. Matthews admitted
that additional legislation was necessary to in
sure greater degree of safety in public halls
and theaters. and it is likely that bill will be
introduced during the present session to that
end
It has been ascertained that in the rush last
night ticket box was upset az the gallery exit,
I'D hat n than g 49,
point. The remains of nearly fifty persons were
found there. Most Of the bodies are completely
reduced to ashes.
THE QUEEN AND HER BONNET.
Her Majesty's Personal Appearance Likened
to That of an Old Yankee Woman.